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Brian Lewis (R), former petty officer third class in the U.S. Navy, is hugged by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) after he testified about being sexually assaulted while in the Navy during a hearing on March 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The number of reported sex assaults in the military increased sharply this year, according to the Defense Department.

Data released this week show that during the first three quarters of the fiscal year, service members made 3,553 complaints regarding sex assault, which was defined as rape, sodomy and other unwanted sexual contact. This represents a 46 percent increase compared to the same time period -- from October to June -- in 2012.

The number of reported claims includes cases involving civilian perpetrators and assaults that occurred before the service member joined the military. Earlier this year, the Defense Department released an annual report on military sexual trauma and the results of an anonymous survey, which found that 26,000 respondents had been sexually assaulted during the 2012 fiscal year.

The higher number of claims might indicate that more victims feel comfortable stepping forward.

“More reports mean more victims are getting the necessary health care,” Maj. Gen. Gary S. Patton, the director of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, told The New YorkTimes. “More reports means a bridge to more cases being investigated by law enforcement and more offenders being held accountable.”

Lt. Col. Cathy Wilkinson, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, told me in an email that the agency's efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault is a "sustained, long-term commitment to promote culture change." She noted that a variety of factors keep victims from reporting the crime, including concerns about privacy and personal and professional retaliation as well as worry that the complaint won't be taken seriously.

Wilkinson said that the DoD has implemented programs like dedicated legal support, enhanced victim advocacy, and widespread training to improve victim confidence in the system.

Legislative reforms to address sexual assault in the military have been the subject of a heated debate on Capitol Hill this week. Two senators, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), have presented opposing reforms regarding chain of command and its power to decide which cases are tried. Gillibrand favors giving that power to prosecutors while McCaskill would protect that right but forbid commanders from overturning jury verdicts.

Meanwhile, the ACLU, in partnership with other advocacy organizations, published a report Thursday documenting the lower approval rate for post-traumatic stress disorder disability benefit claims related to military sexual trauma. Between 2008 and 2012, the approval rate of such claims lagged behind other PTSD claims by as much as 30 percent.

There also appears to be a gender disparity: Male veterans filing PTSD claims related to sex assault do not receive approval as frequently as women.

The authors of the report make several recommendations, including reforming Department of Veterans Affairs regulations on PTSD disability claims related to in-service assault and improving oversight of VA offices with low approval rates.

Have you had difficulty getting approval for a PTSD claim related to sexual assault? Share your experience in the comments below.